meet the band

Katie Foster - violin

Edinburgh-born Katie began learning the violin aged seven and in
2004 won a place at St. Mary’s Music School. She moved to Manchester
in 2011 to begin her Undergraduate degree at the Royal Northern
College of Music where she graduated in 2015.

Katie’s keen interest in folk and jazz music, as well as classical
repertoire has allowed her a multitude of incredible performance
experiences including: semi-finalist of the BBC Radio Scotland Young
Traditional Musician of the Year, recitals in Wigmore Hall and
orchestral tours to Italy, Ireland, Holland, Poland, Germany and
China.

A regular orchestral player, Katie has been Principal Violin of the
Edinburgh Youth Orchestra, Edinburgh Incidental Orchestra and
Camerata Scotland, as well as working with the BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra and Manchester Camerata.

Abel Selaocoe - cello

South African cellist Abel Selaocoe is a versatile musician who is
interested in exploring the capacity of the cello across genres,
from collaborating with beatboxers, folk and world musicians to
giving concerto performances and solo classical recitals.

He has worked as a soloist with numerous orchestras throughout South
Africa, having performed a wide range of concerto repertoire with
Kwa-Zulu Natal Philharmonic, Johannesburg Philharmonic and Randburg
Symphony Orchestras. In 2016 he made his Bridgewater Hall debut, one
of the most prestigious concert halls in Europe, playing Tim
Garland’s Cello and Saxophone Concerto. Abel will also premiere Adam
Gorb’s Cello concerto with the Great British National Youth Wind
Orchestra.

As a keen chamber musician, he made his Wigmore Hall debut working
with composer Colin Matthews on his String Quartets. With
Multi-Story he has curated and performed a series of chamber music
concerts from Maurice Ravel to George Crumb, in a multi-storey car
park in Peckham, London.

Abel has been a recipient of various awards: winner of the Standard
Bank Young Artists Award 2016/2017, winner of RNCM Gold Medal,
Worshipful Musicians Company Silver Medal award, winner of the Sir
John Barbarolli prize (UK) and RNCM Concerto Prize. He has also been
awarded the John Hosier and Biddy Baxter Music Trust Scholarship
with Sir Simon Rattle as patron. He is grateful to Help Musicians UK
for making him the recipient of the Suggia Gift, Karl Motesiczky
Scholarship and for generous support from the Allan and Nesta
Ferguson Charitable Trust and the Thomas Jellis Bequest. Most
recently Abel was a finalist in the Solo Strings category of the
Royal Over-Seas League Competition.

Ali McMath - double bass

Alastair McMath graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music
with a Bachelor of Music Degree (HONS) where he studied double bass
with Jiri Hudec, Principal of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Beginning his musical life at five, as well as bass, Alastair played
piano, organ and was a chorister at Manchester Cathedral. After
eight years as a pupil at Chetham’s School of Music, he moved to the
RNCM, with a full scholarship, and in his fourth year, won the
Eugene Croft Prize for Double Bass and the Diane Bolton Salon Prize.

He has been a member (and principal) of the National Children’s
Orchestras, Halle Youth, National Youth Orchestra and Chetham’s and
RNCM Orchestras and Big Bands. With these Alastair has toured in
France, Italy and Malta, and played under internationally acclaimed
conductors such as Semyon Bychkov and Sir Mark Elder. He has also
played with the Chilingirian String Quartet at the Lake District
International Summer Music Festival.

Alastair’s experiences cross many genres, he enjoys playing with a
1920’s Jazz Band, has done Christmas Panto and Musical Theatre
(playing with Sweet Charity [Royal Exchange, Manchester] and the UK
tour of Ghost the Musical). As a freelance double bassist and bass
guitarist, he’s also accompanied ballet (Northern Ballet Company)
and opera, and played with function bands and jazz ensembles.

Besides music, Alastair enjoys reading, walking and watching films,
and alongside the bass, loves experimenting with other instruments
such as the didgeridoo, banjo, melodica and mouth organ.

Ben Sayah - guitar

Ben Sayah began to discover his passion for music from a very young
age in France, where he was born and grew up. From as young as six
months, Ben would sit in his cot and click his fingers, imitating
his Granddad. Bizarrely, as a toddler, Ben would go into his room
and play while TV shows were on, running back to the living room
when the adverts came on, captivated by the jingles. He would then,
rather embarrassingly, recite the songs of each product he
recognised in the supermarket.

Ben moved to the UK at the age of 5 and soon found himself singing
in the primary school choir. It wasn't until Ben went on to
secondary school that he started playing guitar, having been denied
his first request to get a drum kit. Ben recalls buying Total Guitar
magazine religiously every month for about 5 years, learning the
songs that had been transcribed and often turning down socialising
in favour of obsessing over the guitar in his room.

At age 13, Ben's grandparents took him to see Tommy Emmanuel live in
Southport. Tommy Emmanuel instantly became Ben's biggest inspiration
as a guitarist. At the age of 15, Ben realised that music is what he
wanted to commit his life to. In order to go on to study music at
university, he had just 3 years to begin and complete his classical
guitar grades with ABRSM. Ben achieved Grade 8 with distinction just
in time to apply for university.

Ben studied music at Salford, where his main focus was jazz and
improvisation, ensemble playing and composition and arranging.
During his time at Salford university, Ben became a huge fan of
progressive rock and formed the progressive rock band, Scarlet
Castles. He finished his degree with the highest performance mark of
the year, achieving the Johnny Marr Performance Award.

After university, Ben spent a year overwhelmed and confused by the
music industry. Gigging was not bringing in the money that Ben had
hoped for and it was at this point that Ben began busking in
Manchester. Ben was spotted by Kabantu percussionist, Delia Stevens,
while he was busking a Tommy Emmanuel song that had amazed him just
9 years earlier.

Delia Stevens - percussion

Originally from Leicestershire, Delia began playing percussion at
the age of ten, going onto study at the Royal Northern College of
Music in Manchester. Graduating with a First Class Honours, her
versatility as a musician has allowed her to appear as a soloist,
chamber, session and orchestral musicians on platforms around the
world.

As a teenager, Delia reached the televised category finals of the
BBC Young Musician of the Year twice in 2008 and 10 and then later
won the RNCM Gold Medal and Concerto Competitions. This has since
lead to several highlights including a world premiere live on Radio
3 in the BBC Proms, concertos with the Beethoven Academy Orchestra
in the Krakow Proms and her Wigmore debut.

With a keen interest in chamber music, Delia is the co-founder of
the Aurora Percussion Duo, winning the 2012 Royal Over-Seas League
and Park Lane Group Competitions, subsequently performing in the
Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall. The duo has
also performed at the Edinburgh Festival, BBC Radio 3 Late Junction
and the Bridgewater Hall as well as touring the UK and China several
times.

As an orchestral musician Delia has played with the National Youth
Orchestra of Great Britain, London Sinfonietta, Mahler Chamber
Orchestra and the Hallé. She is currently an Extra for the BBC
Philharmonic.

Delia champions outreach work, particularly through Live Music Now,
where she delivers interactive concerts to special needs audiences,
as well as the elderly and in pupil referral units. She recently
enjoyed a year’s residency on the Oncology Unit in Alder Hey
Children’s Hospital.

meet the band

Katie Foster - violin

Edinburgh-born Katie began learning the violin aged seven and in
2004 won a place at St. Mary’s Music School. She moved to
Manchester in 2011 to begin her Undergraduate degree at the Royal
Northern College of Music where she graduated in 2015.

Katie’s keen interest in folk and jazz music, as well as classical
repertoire has allowed her a multitude of incredible performance
experiences including: semi-finalist of the BBC Radio Scotland
Young Traditional Musician of the Year, recitals in Wigmore Hall
and orchestral tours to Italy, Ireland, Holland, Poland, Germany
and China.

A regular orchestral player, Katie has been Principal Violin of
the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra, Edinburgh Incidental Orchestra and
Camerata Scotland, as well as working with the BBC Scottish
Symphony Orchestra and Manchester Camerata.

Abel Selaocoe - cello

South African cellist Abel Selaocoe is a versatile musician who is
interested in exploring the capacity of the cello across genres,
from collaborating with beatboxers, folk and world musicians to
giving concerto performances and solo classical recitals.

He has worked as a soloist with numerous orchestras throughout
South Africa, having performed a wide range of concerto repertoire
with Kwa-Zulu Natal Philharmonic, Johannesburg Philharmonic and
Randburg Symphony Orchestras. In 2016 he made his Bridgewater Hall
debut, one of the most prestigious concert halls in Europe,
playing Tim Garland’s Cello and Saxophone Concerto. Abel will also
premiere Adam Gorb’s Cello concerto with the Great British
National Youth Wind Orchestra.

As a keen chamber musician, he made his Wigmore Hall debut working
with composer Colin Matthews on his String Quartets. With
Multi-Story he has curated and performed a series of chamber music
concerts from Maurice Ravel to George Crumb, in a multi-storey car
park in Peckham, London.

Abel has been a recipient of various awards: winner of the
Standard Bank Young Artists Award 2016/2017, winner of RNCM Gold
Medal, Worshipful Musicians Company Silver Medal award, winner of
the Sir John Barbarolli prize (UK) and RNCM Concerto Prize. He has
also been awarded the John Hosier and Biddy Baxter Music Trust
Scholarship with Sir Simon Rattle as patron. He is grateful to
Help Musicians UK for making him the recipient of the Suggia Gift,
Karl Motesiczky Scholarship and for generous support from the
Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust and the Thomas Jellis
Bequest. Most recently Abel was a finalist in the Solo Strings
category of the Royal Over-Seas League Competition.

Ali McMath - double bass

Alastair McMath graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music
with a Bachelor of Music Degree (HONS) where he studied double
bass with Jiri Hudec, Principal of the Czech Philharmonic
Orchestra.

Beginning his musical life at five, as well as bass, Alastair
played piano, organ and was a chorister at Manchester Cathedral.
After eight years as a pupil at Chetham’s School of Music, he
moved to the RNCM, with a full scholarship, and in his fourth
year, won the Eugene Croft Prize for Double Bass and the Diane
Bolton Salon Prize.

He has been a member (and principal) of the National Children’s
Orchestras, Halle Youth, National Youth Orchestra and Chetham’s
and RNCM Orchestras and Big Bands. With these Alastair has toured
in France, Italy and Malta, and played under internationally
acclaimed conductors such as Semyon Bychkov and Sir Mark Elder. He
has also played with the Chilingirian String Quartet at the Lake
District International Summer Music Festival.

Alastair’s experiences cross many genres, he enjoys playing with a
1920’s Jazz Band, has done Christmas Panto and Musical Theatre
(playing with Sweet Charity [Royal Exchange, Manchester] and the
UK tour of Ghost the Musical). As a freelance double bassist and
bass guitarist, he’s also accompanied ballet (Northern Ballet
Company) and opera, and played with function bands and jazz
ensembles.

Besides music, Alastair enjoys reading, walking and watching
films, and alongside the bass, loves experimenting with other
instruments such as the didgeridoo, banjo, melodica and mouth
organ.

Ben Sayah - guitar

Ben Sayah began to discover his passion for music from a very
young age in France, where he was born and grew up. From as young
as six months, Ben would sit in his cot and click his fingers,
imitating his Granddad. Bizarrely, as a toddler, Ben would go into
his room and play while TV shows were on, running back to the
living room when the adverts came on, captivated by the jingles.
He would then, rather embarrassingly, recite the songs of each
product he recognised in the supermarket.

Ben moved to the UK at the age of 5 and soon found himself singing
in the primary school choir. It wasn't until Ben went on to
secondary school that he started playing guitar, having been
denied his first request to get a drum kit. Ben recalls buying
Total Guitar magazine religiously every month for about 5 years,
learning the songs that had been transcribed and often turning
down socialising in favour of obsessing over the guitar in his
room.

At age 13, Ben's grandparents took him to see Tommy Emmanuel live
in Southport. Tommy Emmanuel instantly became Ben's biggest
inspiration as a guitarist. At the age of 15, Ben realised that
music is what he wanted to commit his life to. In order to go on
to study music at university, he had just 3 years to begin and
complete his classical guitar grades with ABRSM. Ben achieved
Grade 8 with distinction just in time to apply for university.

Ben studied music at Salford, where his main focus was jazz and
improvisation, ensemble playing and composition and arranging.
During his time at Salford university, Ben became a huge fan of
progressive rock and formed the progressive rock band, Scarlet
Castles. He finished his degree with the highest performance mark
of the year, achieving the Johnny Marr Performance Award.

After university, Ben spent a year overwhelmed and confused by the
music industry. Gigging was not bringing in the money that Ben had
hoped for and it was at this point that Ben began busking in
Manchester. Ben was spotted by Kabantu percussionist, Delia
Stevens, while he was busking a Tommy Emmanuel song that had
amazed him just 9 years earlier.

Delia Stevens - percussion

Originally from Leicestershire, Delia began playing percussion at
the age of ten, going onto study at the Royal Northern College of
Music in Manchester. Graduating with a First Class Honours, her
versatility as a musician has allowed her to appear as a soloist,
chamber, session and orchestral musicians on platforms around the
world.

As a teenager, Delia reached the televised category finals of the
BBC Young Musician of the Year twice in 2008 and 10 and then later
won the RNCM Gold Medal and Concerto Competitions. This has since
lead to several highlights including a world premiere live on
Radio 3 in the BBC Proms, concertos with the Beethoven Academy
Orchestra in the Krakow Proms and her Wigmore debut.

With a keen interest in chamber music, Delia is the co-founder of
the Aurora Percussion Duo, winning the 2012 Royal Over-Seas League
and Park Lane Group Competitions, subsequently performing in the
Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room and Queen Elizabeth Hall. The duo has
also performed at the Edinburgh Festival, BBC Radio 3 Late
Junction and the Bridgewater Hall as well as touring the UK and
China several times.

As an orchestral musician Delia has played with the National Youth
Orchestra of Great Britain, London Sinfonietta, Mahler Chamber
Orchestra and the Hallé. She is currently an Extra for the BBC
Philharmonic.

Delia champions outreach work, particularly through Live Music
Now, where she delivers interactive concerts to special needs
audiences, as well as the elderly and in pupil referral units. She
recently enjoyed a year’s residency on the Oncology Unit in Alder
Hey Children’s Hospital.

"Utterly brilliant"

Georgia Mann
BBC Proms

"An exciting future ahead"

Lopa Kothari
World on 3, BBC Radio 3

****

The Guardian

Reinventing Global Sounds, Throwing Away the Rulebook.

Kabantu is a quintet from Manchester who unravel new marriages of music from around the globe to celebrate the space where different cultures collaborate.

"Kabantu" means "of the people" - stemming from the South African philosophy of Ubuntu - "I am what I am because of who we all are". This is autonomous music bridging countries and cultures. An egalitarian creative process to defy genre and embrace sheer joy in music from all over the globe.

Highlights so far include performing at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, live sessions for BBC Free Thinking Festival, BBC Radio 3 In Tune, World on 3 and an array of prestigious festivals and venues across the UK including The Bridgewater Hall, The Sage Gateshead, Celtic Connections, Musicport, Spitalfields Festival and Cambridge Folk Festival.

Kabantu are the winners of the Royal Over-Seas League Competition 2017.

In 2018, Kabantu released their debut album "Of the People" to critical acclaim, produced by the Mercury-nominated Gerry Diver and supported by the Hattori Foundation and the PRS Foundation's The Open Fund for Music Creators.

2019 sees Kabantu collaborate creatively with the BBC Singers and a tour of England and Wales with Welsh orchestra Sinfonia Cymru. They also tour Switzerland and even feature as guest artist in Yolanda Brown's brand-new show for CBeebies.

Kabantu are Folk Alliance International 2019 Official Showcase Artists, Selected Making Music Magazine, Live Music Now and BBC Introducing Artists.

The quintet are also delighted to be Selected Making Music 2016-17, Live Music Now, Hattori Foundation and BBC Introducing Artists.

Find out about the launch of Kabantu's debut album, "Of The People", here!

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